478 Obituary— Mr. J. W. Salter. 



•was, naturally, training his eye to that perfect knowledge of fossil 

 forms which, in later years, rendered him so distinguished and keen 

 a Palaeontologist. 



In 1842 he visited Cambridge, where he remained for a short time 

 to assist Professor Sedgwick in arranging the fossils of the Wood- 

 wardian Museum. It is not uninteresting here to note, that the first 

 and the last independent work of his life was at the Cambridge 

 Museum in connection with Sedgwick, who continued to be to Salter, 

 up to the last, what, indeed, he has been to so many others, a staunch 

 and generous friend. 



In that and the three following years he made several short trips 

 into Wales, and did his first field-geology under Sedgwick's teach- 

 ing, whom he always referred to as " the Master." 



In 1846 he married Sally, second daughter of Mr. J. De Carle 

 Sowerby, with whom he had learnt that art of which in the illustra- 

 tions to so many scientific works he has left testimony showing not 

 only the ability of the master but the aptitude of the pupil. 



In the same year, at the age of 26, he entered upon the Geological 

 Survey, and for eight years served as chief assistant to the Palseonta- 

 logist, Prof. Edward Forbes. Writing to his friend Dr. Grindrod, 

 of Malvern, Salter says,^ "From 1846, to the time of Forbes's re- 

 moval to Edinburgh in 1854, I shared with him the arrangement, 

 description, and cataloguing of the public fossil collections of the 

 Survey, took part in the field-work, and in all other duties shared 

 the work with him and had his full approval." 



On the retirement of Edward Forbes it was found expedient to 

 separate the Lectureship on Natural History from the office of 

 Paleeontologist. Prof. T. H. Huxley was accordingly appointed to 

 the former post (with the title of "Naturalist"), and Mr. Salter to 

 the latter ofS.ce. 



" The duties of Palseontologist to the Survey consisted of Field- 

 duty in connection with the work of the Local Directors and 

 Surveyors ; the arrangement of the materials collected, and their 

 naming, comparison, and collocation in the cases ; the selection of 

 duplicates ; and correspondence with Naturalists and Geologists at 

 home and abroad."^ Such is the account Mr. Salter gives of the 

 work he was called upon to fulfil. 



In consequence of the increasing extent of the labours of the 

 Geological Surveyors, the examination of the Irish fossils was, in 

 1856, handed over to Mr. W. Hellier Baily, and, in the following 

 year Mr. Eobert Etheridge, having been appointed to the Geological 

 Survey, took charge of the fossils of the Secondary and Tertiary 

 formations of Britain, thus leaving Mr. Salter free to devote his whole 

 energies to his favourite work — the fossils of the paleeozoic formations. 



^ The letter we refer to is dated " Leicester House, Malyern. Nov. 14, 1868," 

 and is addressed to Dr. Grindrod and "W. Mathews, Esq., M.A., F.G.S., and appears 

 to have been intended for publication, with a view to soliciting a pension from 

 Government, which, owing to his retiring at the end of 17 years' service (in 1863) he 

 was not entitled to claim. — Edit. 



2 Extract from the same letter. 



